Conventional heavy punching bags are well known. They are often filled with sand and suspended by chains from an overhead structure, such as a ceiling, a beam, or a free standing truss. Because these bags are heavy, they do not rebound rapidly from hits, punches, jabs and kicks. In addition, once these bags are in place, it is difficult to relocate them, because of their weight and because of the beams and trusses required to adequately support the bag. Also, because many people do not own their living space, they are unable to permanently affix the necessary supporting apparatus to the ceiling. Thus, many people are discouraged from using a punching bag within their own home.
Another type of training device is a light weight bag supported on a movable base. These bags may be attached to or slipped over a pole which is attached to the base. In one design, the base rests on the floor. The user must place one foot on the base of the punching bag stand in order to maintain its stability as it is punched. Otherwise, when the punching bag is hit, the force of the hit overturns the punching bag. Because the user must place his or her foot on the base to maintain the stability of the bag while it is in use, the base has a wide circumference which takes up considerable floor space. Also, the large base makes the bag difficult or bulky to move or relocate.
Still another type of punching bag is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,330,430 and includes an inflatable cylinder-shaped bag and a hollow base. The base may be filled with water or sand to provide weight. Because the base is heavy and substantially rigid, a resilient device such as a spring is required to provide punch reflex. The spring must be attached to the pole either above or below the base to cause the pole to rebound and return to its resting position after the bag is punched. A suitably sized spring is required to achieve the desired reflex action. If the spring gauge is too low, movement of the bag upon punching is hindered. If the spring gauge is too high, the spring will be too flimsy and the bag may not return fast enough or with enough force. Permanent deformation of the spring may also occur over a period of time. The difficulty in designing a simple, inexpensive spring return mechanism which provides suitable reflex action makes such devices burdensome to manufacture on a large scale and results in relatively expensive training devices.
Accordingly an object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive training apparatus for boxing, punching and kicking training activities.
Another object of the invention is to provide a training bag apparatus that is easily relocatable.
A further object of present invention is to provide a training bag apparatus which may be assembled and used in areas of restricted space.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a training bag apparatus that is easy to disassemble and store.